Rhode Island - 60 Great Things to Do in Rhode Island in Newport

Airborne Thrills

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If you think Newport is spectacularly beautiful, just wait: the view from directly overhead offers a new and thrilling dimension. Bird’s Eye View Helicopters , a business based at the Newport State Airport in Newport, offers helicopter rides above the city and harbor. Check out Bellevue Avenue's world renowned mansions by air. Other points of interest that are easily visible from the helicopter include Ocean Drive, along one of the most beautiful coastlines in the country; the majestic Castle Hill and Rose Island light houses; Jacqueline Kennedy's summer home, Hammersmith Farm; and the aircraft carriers USS Forrestal and USS Saratoga. Options include the mansion tour, lighthouse tour, island tour and the sunset tour. Newport’s beauty and majesty is well-known, but a view from the air magnifies the effect, sending visitors home with fabulous photos and lifelong memories. Phone: 401-843-8687.

Bannister’s Wharf Could Take Your Whole Day

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The marvelous and luxurious Clarke Cooke House on Bannister’s Wharf in Newport, a legendary spot for Newporters and visitors to meet and greet, is renowned for its innovative cuisine. In this 18th-century building visitors can dine in romantic elegance on The Porch, high above the assembled yachts, or casually relax at harbor level in The Candy Store. For the smart set there are intimate cocktails at The SkyBar. When winter settles upon us, the fireplace warms and The Bistro is cozy with dark wood and leather. The temperature is always high on the dance floor of The Boom Boom Room. Pick a pleasure.

Blink Here

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Blink Gallery on Thames Street in Newport exhibits new photography of Newport and world travel images by award-winning adventure travel photographer Alexander Nesbitt. Nesbitt who took the great interior character and practical location of his studio space into the public as a formal gallery space offering an on-going series of work by other artists. The gallery also shows stylish home accessories by woodworker Jeff Soderbergh of Reflect Art and unique, high-tech carbon fiber jewelry by Diana Hall. This three-artist gallery space is very much worth a visit for people willing to take a pause from the outdoor beauties of Newport. Phone: 401-847-4255

Breakers Revealed

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The Preservation Society of Newport County is offering a new tour of The Breakers -- the historic Vanderbilt summer "cottage" -- that offers an updated interpretation of its place in American architectural, social and cultural history. The focus of the tour is on the visual beauty of the building, followed by stories of the Vanderbilt family and servants. It captures the spirit of a bygone era that is part of America's heritage. The new tour will take visitors into several previously unseen areas. Visitors will for the first time have an opportunity to see the house from multiple points of view, experiencing it the way different people did in its heyday...as a family member, a servant, or a guest. Phone: 401-847-1000.

Cliffside Views Are Out of This World

The Newport Cliff Walk is a 3.5-mile elevated, winding path along Newport’s shoreline with breathtaking views of Narragansett Bay and the rocky coves below. The walk runs from Bailey's Beach to First Beach, with public access points at Bellevue Avenue, Ledge Road, Marine Avenue, Ruggles Avenue, Ruggles Avenue, Sheppard Avenue, Webster Street, and Narragansett Avenue. The walk skirts the edges of some of the city’s mansions, including Beechwood, Rosecliff, Marble House, The Breakers, Ochre Court, and Rough Point. The latter half of the cliff walk has unpaved sections and rugged paths. All manner of people, from little children to oldsters, stroll the walk at their own pace, some enjoying the view from the heights, some clambering down to the rocky shoreline below.

Colonial Classic

White Horse Tavern in Newport is historically a 17th century tavern, but that word doesn’t convey the present-day tone of this classiest of Newport dining establishments. The décor is sumptuous and the menu is first-class. It is the place to impress a visitor or Newport. The building itself is a classic of colonial Newport construction with its giant interior beams, small stairway hard against chimney, tiny front hall, and cavernous fireplaces. Great for formal or romantic occasions.

Distinctive Wines in a Island Setting

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Newport Vineyards in Middletown provides an example of excellent wines and hospitable vineyard operators to be found in the Northeast. This is a family owned winery, founded in 1978. Since that time, the winery has grown to 50 acres of varietal and hybrid grapes. Visitors are offered public tours at 1 and 3 pm, seven days a week. These include a tour in the vineyards, a behind the scenes look at the winemaking process and a tasting of five wines. The winery features an art gallery and retail shop with wine accessories and signature clothing. Private tours are available. The winery hours are Monday through Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday noon-5 p.m. year around. Phone: 401-848-5161.

Farm Life, Preserved

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Jamestown Island is such a beautiful place to walk, bicycle, or drive, you almost don’t need to do anything while you are there; just being there is enough. But people who are fascinated with traditional farm life should stop at Watson Farm on North Road in Jamestown. This beautiful 265-acre working farm, managed by preservationist group Historic New England, welcomes visitors to its two-mile walking trail and special farm events. Phone: 401-423-0005

Gilded to the Rooftops

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Visit any of the mansions that grace Newport’s rocky shoreline and stately avenues. Built as summer cottages by the plutocrats of the Gilded Age, the mansions – the Breakers, The Elms, Marble House, Rosecliff, and more -- are impressive artifacts of American social history in spectacular natural settings.